So what does a COSAN women’s health camp actually look like? How exactly do a team of doctors and nurses deliver free healthcare to hundreds of women in remote parts of Nepal? How do they manage to make such a big impact in the space of just a few days?
These were the questions I sought to answer firsthand when I travelled to Nepal in November 2023, observing and participating in one of COSAN’s women’s health camps. Needless to say, I learnt that organising and facilitating these camps is a huge logistical process, and I walked away deeply impressed by the effectiveness, efficiency and expertise which permeated every layer of COSAN’s operation. So, what goes into making a health camp happen? Let’s start with step one – the set-up.
1. The Set Up
The burden of pelvic organ prolapse and cervical cancer is significant and widespread across Nepal. Yet with the challenge of finite resources, the COSAN team need to shrewdly decide where to run their health camps. Recently, COSAN have been focusing on the southern region of Nepal, the Plains, where health literacy is limited and women’s health issues are extensive. With a view to cost-efficiency, the team will then liaise with local governments to enlist their support for the camps. On the camp I attended, the local government covered the costs of accommodation and food, meaning COSAN’s funds go directly to running the health camp and providing medical interventions to women in need. This is just one example of how COSAN seek to provide the greatest impact with the resources they have.
Once these logistics are arranged, members of the COSAN team will drive from their base in Kathmandu to the chosen district for the health camp. This is usually a long day of travel: up and down mountains, across beaten up roads, up and down some more mountains.
Now, if you plan on driving eight or so hours south of Kathmandu, through the curving, mountainous roads of Nepal, you’re going to want to make sure there are some patients waiting for you on the other side. This is why COSAN employ local individuals to go door to door advertising their camps ahead of time, spreading the details far and wide amongst the local community, making sure all the women are aware of the forthcoming clinic.
2. The Camp
Once all these moving parts are aligned, the COSAN team is ready to go with the camp. Women from the local area begin to arrive and receive medical attention. After checking in at the arrival desk, the women proceed through a variety of rooms to receive a thorough medical assessment, as follows:
1. Blood pressure and blood sugar screening outside the health clinic.
2. Proceed to nurses’ room, for cervical cancer screening/treatment and women’s health counselling.
3. Proceed to gynaecologist’s clinic room for assessment and treatment planning.
4. Proceed to pharmacist’s room, to receive any required medications.
In terms of personnel, the team is made up of a gynaecologist, a camp coordinator, three nurses, a pharmacist, a driver and a few helpers to assist with sanitation and other minor tasks. Importantly, COSAN involve local health workers in their camps, facilitating the provision of culturally appropriate care and overcoming any reservations local populations may have regarding the health advice they receive.
Over the course of two days, hundreds of women are typically seen in a COSAN health camp. At the camp I attended, 450 women were seen. From this cohort, 72 women were found to be experiencing pelvic organ prolapse. 12 women with severe pelvic organ prolapse were referred for surgical repair, funded by COSAN, and 36 women were provided with ring pessaries to help manage their condition.
In regard to the cervical cancer screening, 12 women were found to have precancerous changes of the cervix. These patients were provided with on-the-spot treatment, preventing further development of the cancer.
3. The Follow Up
Once the camp is wrapped up, the women with severe pelvic organ prolapse undergo surgical treatment at one of a few hospitals with whom COSAN have a partnership. Planning then begins for another camp, in another region of Nepal!
As you can see, it is no mean feat to put on a camp as impactful and sustainable as those done by COSAN. It takes ingenuity, resourcefulness, local knowledge, and, perhaps most importantly, passion. The COSAN team are fiercely passionate about their mission to overcome the problems of pelvic organ prolapse and cervical cancer amongst the women of Nepal. Seeing the camps first hand, I can testify to the significant impact Ubuntu Through Health’s fundraising for COSAN has on the women of Nepal. It is truly a pleasure to be partnered with an organisation as life changing as COSAN!
Written by: Oscar McCabe
